Rolling In The Deep
by Rain-Dance-Dani-California
Summary: "She promised the both of us we'd live happily ever after. She didn't mean to lie, but she did. But now, think about it. We can have it all, A, and so much more." A power struggle between two siblings could make all the difference.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright. I know I haven't updated What Doesn't Kill You in a while. Hopefully this makes up for it. **

**And I wanted to post this before Paradise so I would be working on two multi-chapter stories. **

**Hope you guys like! **

* * *

Aurora stood perfectly straight, her hand ready to knock on his door. She knew it was well past midnight. She knew he would hate her for doing this. But she had to know.

Looking at the silvery moon, she couldn't help but frown. Under the moon was the last time she'd seen him. Hugging herself, she thought back to why she was even here, the terrible dream that had haunted her tonight.

* * *

Dirt.

That's all she could see for miles. That and an altar made of dark, gleaming wood and a free standing glass window that looked like it belonged to a church.

As she walked closer to the altar, she felt her feet sink into the earth. Though the ground was dry, her feet were muddy and caked. Why was she barefoot? And what was this place?

But she kept walking. Right before she would have reached the altar a familiar feminine voice called out; "Daughter."

Afraid, Aurora turned. Standing before her was a woman, maybe in her twenties. Her dark hair barely touched her shoulders. Freckles splashed her nose. Her lips were pursed sternly and her eyes were bright green. She looked down at her with barely a trace of emotions, except for the small smile she wore.

And of course, Aurora knew immediately. "Mother," she bowed. Hecate's smile didn't leave, but her eyes softened. She walked closer to her with the unmistakable sound of someone gliding over air.

"Aurora," she said, touching her face slightly. Aurora tensed. Her mother had been in her dreams a couple of times, but they'd only to warn her about unknown dangers. What could it be now? The war was over, and the seven had returned heroes. What more could the fates have planned for them?

Hecate seemed to ponder this. "Anger," she mumbled. "Yes, I know child. Having me as your mother is most difficult. I'm not like most of them. Unlike them, I know of older, stronger threats. I was one of the first to realize Gaia's wakening."

Aurora wasn't surprised. Her mother was an old goddess, the daughter of a titan. And being the patroness of witchcraft also held its dangers. "What is the threat mother?" she asked, hoping not to upset the goddess.

Hecate didn't seem to mind or notice. "Threat." She mused. " I don't believe he's much of one yet, but he might be. If we aren't careful."

Aurora was still confused. "Who? Is it a god? A titan?" she edged away, so she could look her in the eye. "Who is it?"

The goddess looked past her, gliding towards the alter. She stopped and knelt, closing her eyes and holding her head high. She put her hands to her chest, holding them up as if in prayer. She didn't speak for a while until she said finally,

"Your brother."

* * *

The dream took a turn. She was standing in a parking lot, which was void of anyone except for three people . A tall man with black hair in a dark suit. He was staring down impatiently and annoyed at a boy. He couldn't be more than thirty, she decided.

The boy he was looking at had her back turned to her, but he seemed vaguely familiar. A man was standing a respectable distance from the two. He might've been the boy's father, seeing as they both had the same brown hair.

The man crossed his arms, listening to the boy talk. "It's something important, so please take this seriously even if it sounds weird."

Aurora blinked. People said things like this all the time, but the boy's voice had a shaky edge to it, like he was going to explain something difficult to grasp.

The man gave a look of disbelief, as if he were sure the boy was going to ask something stupid. He closed his eyes for second, then changed his expression. "Ask away," he replied, like he had changed his mind. "I'm all ears."

The boy stood straighter, and Aurora got goosebumps on her skin. Whatever he was going to say next would probably be incredibly important.

"What happens if someone finds a way to stop death?" He asked, and Aurora knew automatically that the boy was in danger. It clicked in her mind suddenly, why he was asking it. He was a demigod.

The man seemed to notice the teens shift in voice. "That would be impossible," he said simply. "All living things decay over time." Aurora snorted. _Tell that to the monsters,_ she thought.

"There is a certain point at which we become unable to function. That is-" The boy didn't let him finish.

"You didn't answer the question," he pointed out. "Please, give me your honest opinion." He seemed a bit desperate for an answer. Whatever was after him had to be hard to defeat. But enough to the point that he needed a mortal morticians' opinion? Something had to be wrong.

"I don't have one," the man retorted. "I'm not a fiction writer. I don't indulge myself in impossibilities." The man had to be incredibly mist-blind to not notice an impossibility right in front of him.

"That's too bad. Dad, the paper?" The brown haired man behind the boy pulled a slip of paper and gave it to the mortician.

"It's out contact information. If you figure it out, call me, okay?" She furrowed her brow. Why did he need his opinion so badly? And why did he have a phone? Monsters tracked demigods through technology like bloodhounds.

The man was staring, probably confused as to why the boy was so persistent. "You do understand me, don't you? I can't answer your question."

"Please try, Dr. Claymore. Because if you don't, I'm going to die."

* * *

The dream shifted. Aurora was watching a battle happening between a mortal and a monster. She winced, knowing full and well the common outcome of battles like that.

The coffee shop they were fighting was in shambles. Bullet holes riddled the place, and another mortal was mindlessly washing some dishes. _Must be under some spell, _Aurora thought.

Suddenly, a hissing voice yelled out "_Incantare: Stulti Carcer!" _

Aurora analyzed the words. She wasn't sure what the monster had meant, but she noticed the mortal stagger a bit. She looked closer and realized that it was the optician from the other dream, Claymore. He attempted to move, but he was stuck.

As the monster came forward a bit, Aurora could identify her. She had serpentine slits for eyes, and dark green irises. Her claws were lizardlike with talons jutting out. Serpent skin encased her, but she still wore clothes.

All in all, she knew this woman was Lamia, her annoying, immortal monster half-sister. She was practically toying with the man. The daughter of Hecate knew that her monster sister could've killed him with a swipe of her claws. Yet, she kept him alive.

Claymore cried out as flames devoured the building. The dishwashing mortal had no idea that he was being burned alive. Aurora felt her heart weighing down. She wanted to scream out as well, but she knew it was just a dream. He couldn't hear her. And if her hunch was correct, this had already happened. The gods had a way of tricking your dreams that way, and that's they'd always worked for Aurora.

As the flames curled around the shop, the dream changed.

* * *

She fell down onto a chair in a very posh looking living room. It seemed as if no one ever had the means to _live_ in it. She wasn't sure what she was doing here, until she noticed that Claymore was once again here.

Fire roared in a fire place, reminding Aurora of what she'd just seen. A wood coffee table was set up for tea.

Claymore declined tea from someone. The brown haired boy's dad. This must've been their house. She sat up straighter, then blushed as she remembered he couldn't see her. The two men talked for a minute before a door opened. Dr. Claymore turned his head, and Aurora gasped.

She could finally see the boy's face. She knew him well. He had freckles a lot like her. His brown hair hung messily in his face as if it needed a cut. He had piercing green eyes, like her mother. Or rather, their mother.

His gray long sleeve shirt and jeans were riddled with green markings- symbols and words used for spells and potions. A bulletproof vest went over his shirt.

She put her hands to her temples. It was her brother. He was here. He was _alive_.

"Alabaster," Aurora whispered, one hundred percent sure. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. A long time ago, when she made her journey to Camp Half Blood after the second titan war, she was told in a dream that her brother was gone. Not exactly dead, but it seemed implied. Her heart beat faster before it sank. She wasn't even sure when this was, or if he were still alive still. He could very well be dead by now.

"Dr. Claymore," he said, ignoring her presence. "Don't bother talking to my companion. He won't tell you anything important."

Claymore glanced at the man and Alabaster, confused. "Why not? Isn't he your father?"

Alabaster laughed. It left Aurora's ears ringing. It wasn't the happy type of laugh most people had, but the your-ignorance-amuses-me type. "No," He sat down in the chair next to hers, grabbing some tea. "He's a Mistform. I created him to serve as my guardian so people don't ask questions."

Claymore's eyes widened. She laughed at his lack of understanding on the matter of what the children of Hecate could do. "Created? You mean with magic?"

Her brother nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out a black notecard. He put it on the table and tapped it twice. Aurora recognized this trick. He was putting the man back onto the card in which he was created. It was how all Mistforms worked.

Just as she'd thought, Alabaster's guardian dissipated into smoke, and transferred onto the card. The shape of a man was now printed on the card.

"Better," he said, giving a small smile. "He gets annoying after a while. I know this must be a lot for a mortal to take in."

"I'll manage," Claymore shot back, though his eyes were wide. "I'm more interested in learning about Lamia, particularly a way to kill her."

At this, the daughter of Hecate furrowed her brow. Celestial bronze would've done the trick. Or, any type of strong elemental magic, or disintegrating potion. What was keeping Lamia alive this long?

She looked at Alabaster again. He hadn't changed much since she last saw him, which was over two years ago. He was still scrawny, but his powers were stronger. Not by much, but she could notice it on him. He didn't appear to be any taller either. And he still looked sixteen. How long after the titan war was this?

Alabaster sighed. "I told you already I don't know. That's why I asked you for help. Do you remember what I asked you in the parking lot?"

"What would happen if someone found a way to stop death." The doctor repeated. "Why is that important? Does it have something to do with Lamia's regeneration?"

Aurora looked curiously at Claymore. What did he mean her regeneration? Sure, all monsters regenerated, but not after decades, maybe even centuries of being locked up in Tartarus. How fast was Lamia coming back?

"No," Alabaster said simply. Aurora felt an explanation coming. "All monsters do that. There are only two ways to kill a monster: one is with some sort of godly material. The other is some sort of binding spell that stops them from reforming in this world. But killing her isn't the problem; I've done that. The problem is that she won't die." He took another sip of tea.

Aurora sat with her legs crossed and she was thinking. Obviously, this was before the war with Gaia. Yes, it all made sense. The period in which Thanatos was chained up, and the doors of death were opened. And Alabaster had no clue what was going on. She frowned. Wouldn't Hecate have given him some sort of heads up about this? That the monsters couldn't die because Gaia was waking? She sighed. The gods were probably supposed to be silent. She wouldn't have gotten a chance to. That, and this was already behind them. It had to be at least two years ago since this conversation.

Just as Claymore would've answered, the dream sent her falling again.

* * *

She opened up a wooden door that belonged to another room. It creaked as she entered.

Sitting down inside were Alabaster and Claymore. Alabaster was sitting in the bed, talking to him. Claymore seemed different somehow. Aurora couldn't put her finger on it until she realized that by some trick of the light, his body sometimes seemed to be made of vapor. He was now a Mistform.

Her brother looked different too. His hair was shaggier, falling into his eyes. He seemed taller, and he wasn't as scrawny. His arms were a bit more muscular. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt that looked a bit big on him, and black jeans with purple sneakers. His eyes gleamed.

Aurora's mouth tugged on the corners. Claymore was probably his guardian now, and he was safe. He survived Lamia, and was now…here. Where ever 'here' was.

For the first time, she felt more aware of herself. The fact that she was wearing normal clothes and shoes had occurred to her since now. Her locket swished back and forth across her chest.

"I don't know," she heard Alabaster say. "I think I'm supposed to meet someone."

Claymore raised his brow. "She didn't say who?"

The son of Hecate shook his head. "No. Mother is cryptic that way. She just said 'a sister'."

The doctor widened his eyes. "Do you think she meant Lamia again?" he seemed alarmed at the thought of the lizard woman coming back.

Alabaster shrugged. "I highly doubt that. I had a couple of sisters. Some of them died. Hecate can control the dead a bit. Maybe that's what she meant."

The black haired man seemed indifferent. "I don't know, and neither do you. We'll have to wait. Accept it."

Under his breath Alabaster grumbled. "I hate not knowing."

Aurora laughed out loud this time. "You're such an Athena child." She said.

Instead of not hearing it, like a normal dream of hers, Alabaster turned to her head on. He looked at her with furrowed brows. "Are-are you real?" he asked tentatively. Claymore seemed to be studying her as well.

Aurora stared at him. "Define real," she decided to say.

Alabaster got up, and stood directly in front of her. He had to be at least eighteen now. He had a bit of stubble on his face. He had to be over a foot taller than her. "Do, I know you? You seem, familiar."

Her eyes softened. "Alabaster," she said calmly. "It's me. Aurora."

He looked at her again, eyes wide, before hastily pulling her into a hug. She was shocked but eventually she wrapped her hands around his waist. His head nestled into her hair, and he used his free hand to run through it, examining the purple at her ends.

"You're safe," he mumbled into her hair. He pulled apart and held her at her shoulders. A smile was spread across his face.

"And you're older. How old are you?" he asked, sitting back down on the bed.

"I'm fourteen." She supplied, and he nodded. "About as old as I was when the war started."

Claymore held up his hands, indicating for them to stop. "Alabaster, who is she, your girlfriend?"

Aurora raised an eyebrow before laughing. Alabaster blushed and laughed with her before explaining. "No. This is Aurora, my sister. Aurora, this is-"

"Dr. Claymore, I know." She interrupted. They both looked at her.

"How'd you know?" the doctor asked, intrigued by her.

She scratched her neck. "I'm dreaming. I have no idea how you can see me right now either."

Alabaster looked confused. "What are you dreaming about?"

"Right now? Seeing you. But before I was looking at your whole Lamia ordeal. I saw you ask Claymore the question in the parking lot, Lamia attacking him at the store, and you two talking in your house."

He looked at her. "That was what," he turned his attention to Dr. Claymore. "Two years ago? How did you see that."

"Mom showed it to me."

Dr. Claymore sat up, a bit more interested. "Hecate talks to you too?"

Aurora nodded. "Of course. I can't imagine her not talking to anyone of us." She looked back at Alabaster. "And I really can't imagine her leaving out the little detail that you're alive."

The son of Hecate looked horrified. "She told you I was dead? I don't think she would-"

"The others told me you were gone. Not dead just…gone."

Alabasters eyes raged. "Honestly, I'm glad you're safe. But get out of there."

Aurora tried to reason with him. "You know I can't. I step one foot out of those boundaries I'm dead."

He groaned. "They're poisoning you. When's the last time you made a Mistform?"

"Yesterday," she replied back, countering her brother's anger.

"Potion?"

"Saturday."

"Spell?"

"I gave this girl the stripes the other day," she supplied, sitting down next to Alabaster. "Honestly, I'm fine. I'm worried about you."

He looked over at her. "Well you shouldn't be. Dr. Claymore and I are perfectly alright. Aren't we?"

The Mistform man stood. "We're quite capable of anything that could be thrown at us. We've been doing this for years."

"Yes," Aurora stood defiantly. "And I've been training for two years. Sword fighting and archery are just as natural to me as magic. Spells and Mistforms aren't going to keep you alive forever."

Alabaster stood to match her. "If you think I'm setting one foot remotely _close_ to that camp, think again. I fought on the Titan side for a reason. I'm honoring that."

Aurora ran a hand through her hair. Alabaster was always incredibly stubborn. She began to speak when a sound cut through them. Her vision turned snowy, and she blinked. A second later she was standing behind a clear, thin wall.

Alabaster inspected it. "It's clear energy. The dream is breaking up. I don't think Mom did this."

Aurora grimaced. "No, the Gods did. Morpheus or Hypnos maybe. They don't want me talking to you."

He crossed his arms and grumbled. "Figures. What now?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find you. They might be able to interrupt this," she looked up at the sky with an angry expression. "But they won't stop me from finding you. Where are you?"

His eyes softened. "That might not be a good idea, you know." He seemed a bit weary for someone who didn't care much for gods.

"I doesn't matter if it's a good idea. It's the right one. Hecate warned me about a threat Alabaster. I think it's you."

He furrowed his brow. "Me? There's no way,"

"You still don't trust the other gods. They don't want you alive. You've still got resentment and anger towards them. You're left in the dark, which is dangerous. And I'm sure Gods have been checking up on you."

Alabaster didn't say anything. He hit his hand against the force. Energy rippled. "Fine. If you have to. I'm not coming to your camp, however." He stated.

Aurora looked around. It was because of the gods that she was in this mess. Now she had to help her brother before it was too late for him.

"We'll see what happens," she reasoned, nodding.

His eyes softened. As much of a fighter Alabaster was, he was still an older brother to her. "I'm in upstate New York almost all the time. Close enough so that a half blood from Kronos's Army wouldn't have to go very far."

"Mind telling me exactly where?" Aurora asked.

"A place called Poughkeepsie. Across the river, two hours northeast. There's a train station here. Probably the easiest way to get here. I'm staying at a place called The Grandview. Be warned though, a lot of monsters are incredibly disguised as humans. Most of them have slits for eyes, and uncommon irises. Get here safe, and we'll talk about camp."

He seemed willing enough to go back with her, as long as she was safe. "And be careful. Some Demigods don't make it out of here alive. I'll be waiting."

As he shared the last piece, his figure distorted, and both of them turned into black. She saw faint images of a boy and a little girl with glowing green eyes and a small girl with glowing blue eyes. An image showed a girl fighting in rags, her caramel hair piled on her head in a knot. The last showed a girl with curly caramel and purple hair staring at a tree, looking over at Camp Half Blood. The little girl had been her. And the boy was Alabaster. Lou Ellen had been fighting with them.

Slowly, Aurora drifted into conciseness. Her eyes opened and she found herself back in bed. Her hair fell into her eyes as she shook her head. A massive headache was creeping up on her. But she had other problems on her mind. She remembered something Alabaster had said in the dream.

"What happens if someone found a way to stop death?" He'd asked. And he'd never gotten an answer. Now she felt like it was her turn. Alabaster was in danger of being obliterated by the Gods, and she had to stop them. Meanwhile, she was in danger of letting the Olympians down, and helping an enemy. She sighed.

Aurora stood up. She needed to know what to do, but she needed answers. And she knew one person that could give them to her.

* * *

She knocked. No answer. She did it again and only heard grumbling. She crossed her arms and examined the door. She could easily rip it off using magic, but she decided to try the knob first. Unlocked.

She twisted it open and stepped inside. Dark walls and dimly lit candles. Their fires were green, giving off an eerie glow. The floor was tiled to look like some sort of earth. It didn't smell the way she thought it would. It smelled more like a wet marsh than death or must. But there was no sound. Not even the chirping of crickets was heard.

She closed the door behind her, and all of a sudden there was a swift movement. She didn't turn however, and wasn't surprised when an arm wrapped around her throat and a gleaming black sword was poised above her neck.

"Who are you?" his voice asked, cold and menacing.

"Calm down, Death Boy, I'm not here for games." She quipped, showing that she wasn't impressed.

The son of Hades put down his arm and his sword. "It's seriously past midnight." Nico said bored and tired. Aurora twisted around to get a look at him.

Messy as ever dark hair and eyes she couldn't quite find. His pale skin looked weird against the green glow. He had been sleeping in plaid black boxers and no shirt, but his sheath hung on his hip. He looked tired and annoyed, but not quite mad.

"Yes, I can tell time, thank you," she retorted to his earlier statement.

"If you're here to banter I suggest you leave. I'm not in the mood for this." He put the sword on another bed and went back to his own before Aurora grabbed his wrist.

"No. I'm serious. I need a question answered." He voice changed dramatically. She sounded older, more serious and a bit desperate.

Despite him noticing this, Nico still didn't acknowledge it. He figured she was just spooked by a dream. "It can't wait until morning?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. He looked down at her. Her blue eyes said it all. _No._

"Someone's life could be on the line." Nico arched a brow.

"Could be?"

"I'm serious."

"So am I." he countered. She could really be a pain sometimes.

Aurora sighed and put her hands on her temples. "Do you really have to be so difficult?"

"I'm the son of Hades and it's three in the morning, what do you think?"

"This is going nowhere," she mumbled, and leaned against a wall. Looking sideways at him, she decided to at least give it a go. "You know a lot about death right? And don't give me some smart ass response, I'm not in the mood."

A smirk could be seen forming on his face. "Yeah." He replied simply.

The daughter of Hecate looked him dead in the eyes. Any nerves or uncertainty vanished from her face. She stood tall, almost matching his height. Nico looked at her, confused.

She released a breath. "What happens if someone finds a way to stop death?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. My name is _It's been forever since I've updated._**

**Sorry guys. Time kinda just slipped away from me, hehe. But, never fear, I'm back. I'm thinking at least twice a month I'll do this, but other than that, I'm seriously unpredictable.**

**So, consider this your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/anything else you celebrate, okay? Good.**

**Reviews, guys. That would be the best Christmas gift ever. **

* * *

Which is how Nico, Aurora and Anais ended up here, on a train ride to Upstate New York.

Once Chiron heard that Aurora had a dream about her powerful demigod brother, he insisted that she went on a quest, instead of just getting her to bring him back. Nico really wanted to argue that this Alabaster guy wasn't worth all the trouble, but Chiron seemed really anxious about the whole thing.

Aurora had come back from Rachel's cave around noon. The redheaded Oracle looked a bit freaked as she talked to the daughter of Hecate. Sometimes she had a habit of passing out, or not remembering what prophecy she'd spoken. Apparently, she remembered it, and it was bad.

Still, Nico was itching to hear what fate the Oracle had laid out for her. The cabin counselors had met in the rec room, and many of them were confused. They hadn't heard anything about anyone seeing Rachel, let alone a quest. Most were just hoping they weren't chosen.

Chiron pounded his hoof to silence everyone. "Quiet, children," He asked. He gestured over to Rachel, who waved shyly, and Aurora, who stood proud.

Everyone knew that the children of Hecate had been waiting for an important quest for ages. Ever since the end of the Titan war they've all been waiting for a chance to prove themselves heroes.

Nico sat up in his chair. Beside him was Lou Ellen, senior counselor for the Hecate cabin. She had a strong face, long black curls and intense dark eyes. She watched her sister with a glint in her eye like motherly pride.

"Aurora Powers has been to see the Oracle. Rachel, have you granted her a prophecy?"

All eyes shifted to the ginger. Even under the stares of over twenty halfbloods, she didn't even flinch. "Yes, Chiron."

His eyes rested on Aurora. She stepped up, and looked at all their faces. No doubt she knew she was among heroes, and she was thinking herself a traitor. Here, no matter how much she would try, she'd be the underdog. Her hair was resting on her shoulder in the most lopsided braid Nico have ever seen. Her Camp Half Blood shirt was a size too big, with the sleeves folded. Her camp necklace only had three beads, and a long oval locket rested on her stomach.

In the process of noticing this, Aurora hadn't even begun to speak the prophecy. Her face looked puffy, and she seemed drained. Her eyes were dull, instead of a shimmering green. She exhaled, and began her prophecy:

_"Daughter of Magic hear my cry,_

_The one you gather must not die,_

_The gods will not see you to the end,_

_They'll capture whom you deem more than a friend, _

_Take with you your own wisdom, and death,_

_And sacrifice a life with a final breath._"

No one spoke after she told them. Her eyes were closed, and Nico could tell she was thinking. Rachel put her arm around her shoulder.

Of course, Nico knew exactly what was going on. Someone on the quest was going to die, and it couldn't be Alabaster. And someone else was getting captured by the gods. Which meant someone was going, knowing very well that they might not come back. Who in Hades would want to go on that quest?

Annabeth spoke up first. "Well, you know what you have to do right?" She looked around at everyone, hoping that they'd come to the same conclusion. Jason took it from there.

"You have to find Alabaster, where ever he is. You have to make sure he doesn't die, and one of you might have to sacrifice your life for that."

"And one of you, if not Alabaster will get captured by the gods." Percy pointed out. Aurora stared blankly at him for a moment, before hanging her head. Nico figured that she was thinking about who would get captured. Going by the lines of the prophecy, it sounded a lot like Alabaster.

Leo cleared his throat. "So who's the lucky two that volunteer?" he asked, and Piper gave him a look.

"It's obvious, Leo," Jason spoke again. "_Take with you your own wisdom and death_? She just handed you your other two people."

At this, Nico grimaced. Why him? Why did he have to go on this deadly quest? It truly spelled disaster. Still, he wasn't about to fight against fate. He knew from experience that it would be suicide.

Aurora looked down for a while. Nico could see her lips moving. _Wisdom and death,_ she repeated over and over, trying to choose. Maybe she'd found a loophole in the wording, and he didn't have to go after all.

His minuscule hope was cut short when she looked up at him. Her eyes were searching, and wondering if he was going to abandon her. He sighed. Not today.

"I'll go." He said quickly, standing up. She gave a small, but grateful smile. He nodded back, but his heart twisted in a knot. He was going to get himself killed for her. She'd better choose someone good to protect them.

She looked over at Annabeth now, her eyes shifting and calculating. He was almost sure that Aurora was going to ask her when she called, "Anais. I want her to go."

Nico raised a brow, but his chest relaxed immensely. Anais had been at camp ever since he was, and they'd become very good friends. She was smart, nimble and fast, both on her feet and in her mind. Nothing ever went past her.

A girl came out of the sea of demigods. Long, choppy, dirty blond hair and fierce gray eyes looked back at curly, golden brown and purple hair with shining green eyes. They nodded in sync. The two girls were better friends than they let on. No doubt Aurora trusted Anais with her life, and the other the same.

Chiron looked grimly at the three. Nico wasn't sure if he was just worried for them, or if he was planning their funerals.

* * *

They were leaving the next day, just as the sun came over the hill. Nico trudged up the hill, with a real sense of the danger they were in.

Apparently Aurora had been ready since five in the morning. Her hair was tied up in a bun, but a couple of strands poked out from the back. Her hands fidgeted endlessly, and her eyes shifted back and forth.

She wasn't wearing camp clothes. Her orange t-shirt had been replaced with a long sleeved denim shirt. She wore black shorts and short light brown cowboy boots. Her back pack was slung over her shoulder and a gleaming celestial bronze dagger hung on her scabbard.

When it seemed like she finally saw Nico, she stood up. He didn't do much to acknowledge her, except nod. She rubbed her arm and they waited for Anais to come.

The whole time, Nico thought about the plan. Aurora and Anais had come up with one right after the meeting. They were to meet Alabaster in some hotel, talk to him, and get him to come back to Camp Half Blood. Honestly it seemed simple enough but she'd warned them about certain gods. A deadline hadn't been mentioned before, but Anais explained that it would be better if they returned before or by the solstice.

Aurora seemed to read his mind. "Don't worry," she said, looking at him. Her face told a different story. Nico wasn't sure who she was more worried about; her brother or them.

Nico sighed. "It's hard not to be," he admitted.

She raised her eyebrow. "This coming from the boy who at age eleven traveled through the Labyrinth?" She was just teasing, he could tell by the faint smile on her face.

He shrugged. "I wasn't entirely on my own. I had help."

"Well, you still do. A quest isn't three people for no reason. We're supposed to help you."

"I thought we were supposed to help _you_," he reminded her.

Aurora shrugged. "Same difference." She pointed behind him. "She's here."

Sure enough, the daughter of Athena had arrived. Her blond hair was pulled back, and she was wearing a big red sweater and shorts. Her pack was overfilled with weapons, ranging from arrows to throwing knives to daggers.

Nico looked at her. "Why do you have the entire weapons shed on your back?" Aurora suppressed a smile.

Anais, however didn't smile. Her eyes looked tired and her face was pale. She picked up her head and forced a grin. "Funny," she said, her sarcasm barely there.

"Whoa," Aurora said, walking over to her friend. "You look terrible." Nico thought she was a bit blunt, but Anais really didn't look good. "Are you sure you're up for this?" She put a hand on the daughter of Athena's shoulder. Anais shrugged.

"I'll be fine. I once had the flu during a track race, doing hurdles. I can handle it."

Aurora still frowned, but Nico figured that Anais knew what she was doing. Her sister was Annabeth, for the gods' sakes. If she weren't okay, Annabeth wouldn't have let her go. Still he wanted to know what had her looking so troubled. When Aurora wasn't looking at her, her eyebrows furrowed, as if she were thinking very hard about something.

Aurora stood taller. "Well, if you say so. Our first stop has nothing to do with questing anyways, so I think you'll be better by then."

Nico raised a brow. "What do you mean, 'nothing to do with questing?' Where are we going?"

Aurora didn't do anything but turn on her heels and say, "You'll see."

* * *

The ride into Manhattan was a lot more entertaining than Nico had thought.

Manhattan was full of interesting people. Street venders, joggers, dog walkers, and even the neighborhood vagrant all interacted so hilariously, that Nico could help but glue his eyes to the window with an amused smirk.

Argus, their driver and protector at the moment stopped and looked at Aurora, who sat in the front. She nodded, and ushered for them to get out.

Standing on the sidewalk, Aurora thanked Argus, and waved to him. His blue eyes looked sadly at all of them, as if it was going to be for the last time. Somehow that didn't further assure Nico.

As he sped off, Aurora took the lead. Anais looked around, taking everything in. "Where are we going?"

They kept walking. "To get questing money." She replied simply.

"Is there a bank for that?" Nico asked, curiously.

Aurora sighed. "Kind of." Her face scrunched up in dislike. Where _were_ they going?

A set of revolving doors took them into a fancy building, which looked like a hotel lobby. Nico shuddered involuntarily. He'd spent over seventy years in a hotel in Las Vegas. That was enough for one lifetime.

Aurora led them the elevators and pretty much punched in the floor numbers. She did it with such disdain that Nico had to ask. "Is everything okay?"

She looked at him as if it were a strange question. "I'm fine," she replied quietly. If the rest of the quest was going to go like this, Nico hoped he'd be the one sacrificed.

The doors opened, and the daughter of Hecate led them down the hallways and to a big purple door. She reached into her hair and pulled something small and brown out. Anais rose her brow.

"A bobby pin? Does that even work?" she crossed her arms, and Nico noticed that the anxiety in her eyes had faded. She was, for now, back to normal.

"Of course it does," she supplied, and the door clicked open. She pushed it back without any hesitation.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Nico asked, looking around the dark house. Even though he couldn't see, he could tell that the place was big.

Aurora didn't bother to answer. She scoffed, before reaching over and flicking the lights on. As they looked around, Nico's eyes widened.

The place was _huge_. It had giant glass windows that looked over almost all of Manhattan. The furniture looked as though no one had ever sat on it. The place seemed very posh all around, as if a movie star lived here or something.

Nico saw that Aurora didn't even look around. She walked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge. She pulled something out, and set it on the counter, before picking up a note and reading it. She smiled a bit.

"Awesome," she mumbled, putting the paper back down. She grabbed a Ziploc bag and pulled whatever it was she took out into it. She stuffed it in her pack.

"Okay, one down." She said, and Nico couldn't help but think _she's crazy as hell._

"Um," he said, earning her attention. She raised an eyebrow back at him. "What are you doing?" He almost yelled.

Anais came beside him. "You can't just steal stuff from someone's house. Especially if you know them well enough."

Aurora laughed. Nico and Anais looked at each other, thinking that she'd definitely gone off the deep end. But she looked at them funnily.

"Guys," she said. "This is my apartment. I live here." She said simply, as if that solved everything. She kept walking down the hall. Nico walked after her.

"You live here? Then why did you open the door with a bobby pin? And why didn't you say that?"

Aurora pursed her lips, like she did when she didn't want to talk. "I don't have the key. It was kind of a last minute thing, when I saw how much Anais had packed. Plus, Hecate cabin is completely out of Ambrosia." Nico guess that that was what she'd packed from the fridge. A strange question formed in his mind. _Who puts ambrosia in the fridge?_

She opened the door to the room with a poster. Anais (who was still staying quiet) breathed in.

"Whoa."

There was a lot to be impressed about. The whole room was a hazy desert orange, with bright yellow at the top and bottom. Glossy, hard wooden floors made his boots clack annoyingly. The windows were from floor to ceiling, with the most massive curtains Nico had seen. The bed had steps leading up to it, and a trunk right in front of it. several sets Old pink shoes hung from a hook over her dresser.

"What are these for?" he asked, picking them up. Aurora rummaged through some stuff not even looking at him.

Anais took them from him. "They're ballet shoes, right?" She tapped the top of it on the dresser. Unexpectedly, it made a sound as if something solid was inside. Anais flicked it. "Is there something inside of it?" she asked.

Aurora didn't answer right away. Nico and Anais kept staring at her stuff in wonder. "Yes," she replied at last. "A wooden block. We don't stand on our toes the whole time. That's torture."

Anais's eyes lit up. They did that whenever she learned something interesting, something even Annabeth wouldn't know. Nico always found it amusing when Anais gave her older sister a lesson on something.

Nico walked over to her bed. Her room had to be the size of an entire hotel suite, if not bigger. When he sat down on the bed, it moved.

"What in Hades," he muttered, trying to balance. Aurora turned around and laughed, as he placed his legs down on the floor. He looked up, and saw that it was attached to ropes on the ceiling, and that it had no legs.

"It swings," he said, in disbelief. "Your bed swings."

She frowned. "Not my idea, by the way. But my dad was so excited by it I couldn't tell him no. It was one of the only times I could spend with him," She didn't say anymore, but Nico got the hint. Her dad didn't spend time with her. Typical demigod issue.

Anais put the shoes down. "What are you looking for?" she asked, sitting on the trunk. Aurora was shifting through her mirror drawers, when she pulled something out. A blue envelope.

"Got it," she said, not really answering the question. She opened it, and counted through something. She closed it, and slipped it into her bag. "Alright, let's go."

The three came out of the room, and she closed the door. Nico flicked off the lights, and Anais locked it from the inside. Aurora was already at the elevators.

Nico leaned on the side of the elevator. "Wanna tell us what's in the envelope?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Quest money," she replied. "One thousand dollars, to be exact," She said it like it was nothing.

Anais almost dropped. "One thousand dollars? Where on earth did you get that much for a quest?"

Aurora shrugged. Clearly, money didn't even have a value to her. "It's not much. I've always kept it around in case something important came up. Besides, we'll need it."

Nico kept his mouth shut. Exactly why would they need that much? But dealing with magic was tricky business. If they weren't careful, they could wipe New York clean off the map.

* * *

The train ride into Brooklyn was fine. It was being in Brooklyn that caused all the trouble.

They'd gotten off at the station, and waited for the next train to come, for an odd town near the Hudson River. Poughkeepsie, Aurora had told them.

They had been waiting in a shop, when the sound of glass breaking echoed through the station. The three looked up, and drew their weapons.

Nico's black sword was in his hands in two seconds. Anais held her dagger, and dropped her pack. Aurora had shuffled around before a bow and arrow was placed tightly in her grip.

He looked around, seeing what could have possibly caused all that racket. A couple of kids were running straight to the source. Anais caught sight of them.

"Other demigods?" she asked. Nico honestly didn't know. It didn't seem likely that they were Greek or Roman. So, what were they doing?

"Don't know," Nico replied, starting to run after them. "But maybe they know what's going on."

They were running to the broken window, when a roar pierced their ears. It didn't sound like any monster they knew, but they kept running.

The two kids were standing, looking up. Nico noticed a boy with dark skin and black curly hair, along with a girl with caramel hair and tan skin. She had purple hair at the bottom, just like Aurora.

The boy pulled something out, and Nico looked at him like he was crazy. His sword was curved, like a giant hook, and it was not made from celestial bronze. It shined like copper.

He walked into the danger zone, before something emerged. A creature lumbered out. It was the weirdest thing Nico had ever seen.

It was a lizard woman. She had green scaly skin, and silvery hair. She wore red heels, and had talons that looked as though they were dripping blood. Ripped clothes were strewn around her body. What was even stranger was that she fixed her green reptilian eyes on Aurora, blazing with hatred.

"Another one?" she hissed. The sound was terrible. "I'll just have to kill you too!"

She smashed her fist down, and the ground shook. They dived out of the way, and rolled onto their feet. Aurora notched an arrow, and got her right in the stomach. Normally monsters would have vanished, but she smiled creepily, and pulled the arrow from her stomach. Barely a scratch.

"I'm protected, you know. Mother doesn't just do favors for you traitors."

The small girl with the caramel hair scoffed. "Monsters that rhyme? That is the lamest thing I've ever heard."

The dark skinned boy glared at her. "Sadie, not now." He yelled over the noise.

"Sorry, brother dear, it was just too tempting."

The lizard woman looked back at them. At this time, the demigods got behind her, their weapons up.

"Any idea who she is?" Nico whispered. He'd never seen anything like her.

Anais shook her head. "She doesn't seem familiar. Do you know her Aurora? She seems to know you."

Her look of disdain was back. "Lamia. My monster half sister. She fought Alabaster about two years ago. I have no clue why she's back."

The two kids were listening to Lamia rant. The Sadie girl was an excellent distraction. She kept whipping out smart remarks, and making Lamia confused. They could've just left the kids, and ran onto the next train anywhere. But Nico knew that would be wrong. These kids-whatever they were-didn't seem prepared to fight a Greek myth.

"Spread out." Aurora said. "She's mainly after me. If she doesn't see you, then you'll be fine. Just don't be too far away." She walked closer behind Lamia, and Nico further inched away. If he could just stab her, maybe she'd be gone…

He was about to try when she whipped her tail around, sending three of them flying. The black haired boy skidded on his feet, using his weird sword to stop his momentum.

The two girls were a different story. Aurora and the other brown haired girl got whipped in the same place. Anais saw this, and ran to them.

That left Nico all alone with Lamia. He cursed to himself. Lamia licked her lips. "A son of the underworld will have to do," she said, preparing to strike.

Nico went into battle mode. She attacked downward with her mouth, and Nico sliced right through her tongue. It slithered around with a mind of its own. Nico got sick looking at it.

While he was distracted, she grabbed him. She tried to pick him up, but her fingers smoked. She screamed at let him go. The Iron sword clanged on the marble floor, while he landed on his feet.

Lamia's face raged, but not long before a myriad of arrows met her in the eyes. She screamed in pain. Aurora looked around, in fear.

Nico called out to her. "Aurora," he yelled, but she didn't listen. She came right up to Lamia and kicked her in the foot.

"Don't mess with us!" she cried. "It'll just hurt you more." She pulled something cream colored out of her boots. It crumbled to bits, landing on the floor. Aurora got mad.

"You broke it! You'll pay for that!" she kept screaming to the monster. Lamia picked up her foot, as if to stomp on her.

Nico ran, and pulled her out of the way. As they were running, he looked at her. "You're an idiot, you do realize that?"

She looked extremely offended. Somehow she looked different. Her hair wasn't as curly. Her face was covered in dirt, hiding her freckles. She was really mad too.

"Let go of me!" she said, slapping Nico in the head. He glared back at her. She stopped, before trying to get out of his grip. "Who in blazes do you think you are? Get off of me!"

_Blazes?_ Nico thought. Nico didn't think he'd ever heard her say that. And she talked with a slight accent. He tilted his head at her. Her eyes widened.

"Anubis?" she asked, in completely shock. Nico nearly stopped. _Anubis? How did she..? _He understood now that there was some sort of mistake. He looked at her face again. Of _course _there was. Aurora's eyes only looked blue from far away. They weren't blue at all up close. Not like this girls'.

He especially realized it when Aurora streaked past them, Lamia on her heels."Um," she yelled, shooting arrows at the lizard woman. "Help?!"

Nico looked at the other girl. She really did look like Aurora. He gave a weary smile. "Sorry," he said, before jetting away. "Wrong person!"

He sped up to Aurora, who was fighting with Anais. Anais cut Lamia's tail off, and stuck the dagger in the small off her back. The last arrow lodged itself in her stomach, and stayed.

"No!" Lamia cried. "You can't do this! I'm your sister! Are you going to let this happen again?"

Nico didn't let her finish. One swipe with his sword through her back, and she dissolved.

The demigods collapsed. Aurora looked at her quiver, searching for arrows. Anais stood, helping the others to their feet. "That was weird." She commented.

Aurora pulled her hair back. Gold monster dust shimmered on her face. "I don't get it. Why was it so hard to kill her?"

Nico shrugged. During this conversation, he'd been looking around for that girl again. Sadie, he thought her name was.

Anais sighed. "Dunno," she replied simply. "But at least she's gone."

"Yeah," Aurora said. "But Alabaster fought her only two years ago. How is she back so fast?"

Nico thought about what Lamia had said. "Maybe Hecate is protecting her. Your mom doesn't seem like the type to pick favorites."

Aurora frowned. "Even if she did bring Lamia back to life, and I'm not convinced that she did, why would she let her go after me? I'm trying to get her son back to the world of the gods. Why stop me?"

She had a valid point. But Nico was pretty sure that the gods had something to do with it.

The clock chimed. Everywhere, trains started to move. The three dusted themselves off the best they could, and headed for the master schedule.

Anais walked in front of Nico and Aurora. Aurora looked at him carefully, as if she were trying to figure out exactly what to say. "Why did you pull aside that girl?" she finally asked.

Nico's face burned. He didn't really want to talk about it. "I thought it was you. I just got you and her mixed up."

Aurora rose her brow. "Even though she was younger than me, and looked nothing like me?"

Nico snorted. "You two could've been twins. You, except for the eyes. Weird hair, boots, shorts. Do you even know her?"

"Actually, I do." She replied, obviously not hearing the other comments. "Her name's Sadie Kane. She goes to my school." She ducked under the frame of the train car, sitting in the middle. "I thought it was weird seeing her here. But I didn't say anything. I just hope she didn't recognize me."

The train was moving now, and Nico felt the biggest sense of relief yet. His chest didn't feel as tight, and his heart stopped racing. Still, he was a bit apprehensive leaving the city of the gods. It was weird to him, knowing that he wouldn't be as protected as usual.

The others didn't seem that way. Anais and Aurora were falling asleep. They both crossed their legs and laid back in the train seat, eyes fluttering, but closed.

He figured sleep would be best. He turned on his side and closed his eyes, not even realizing how tired he was. He fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Nico never had demigod dreams that often, so when he did, it was always bad news.

Persephone and Hades were sitting at a table, arguing. Nico was in the middle of them. Bored, he rested his head on his fist until Hades said, "Look alive, son. Act like that and I might mistake you for one of the dead."

Hades had a cold, cruel sense of humor. His black oily hair sat like a crow's nest on his head. His helm looked like a wreath of bones. It probably was real, but you never know with Hades. His long black robes looked speckled with dark earth.

Persephone shouldn't have been there. Her eyes were bright amber, and her dress flowed with color. She looked a lot more beautiful than the last time Nico had seen her. Still, her pretty face wrinkled a bit at the sight of Nico. She'd learned to live with him, and sometimes enjoyed someone else who shared the same feelings. Not that she'd ever say that.

But Nico was still wondering why she was here. Shouldn't she be frolicking through some flowers, or something? He honestly wasn't really sure what she did.

Hades locked his black eyes with Persephone's honey ones. "We've called you here to discuss your mission."

Nico raised a brow, but subtly so. Hades had never called him down for anything. This had to be serious.

"I'm just bringing a demigod back to camp. It's not the end of the world again." He said.

Hades didn't hesitate before replying. "No. You're not. This quest is going to be a lot more complicated than that. Surely you could tell." He was saying it, hoping that Nico would get the hint.

He did. Hades was telling him to shut up and listen. He nodded, crossing his arms. "So, what is it you were going to say?"

Persephone rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Hades. You're over reacting. Do you really think this boy could create the downfall of the gods single-handedly?"

Nico gaped. "Are we talking about the same guy?" He was pretty sure that a son of Hecate wasn't that much to be reckoned with. But he could have been wrong. After all, Aurora and Lou were pretty powerful. If they'd learned from their brother, who knows what he had under his sleeve.

The Lord of the Dead nodded. "Alabaster Torrington. He's eighteen now, and one of the last few in Kronos's army that haven't come to Camp Half Blood. He still feels that an injustice was done, and will do anything to make it right. Including over throwing the gods."

Nico knew from experience that even trying so was pure suicide. People had tried a million times to do it, but they never did. That's what two past two summers had been all about. They didn't need a third villain.

As if he was reading Nico's mind, Hades said, "Oh, he's no villain. He's like a people's host. He's doing this on the support of demigods he meets, abandoned on the street, asking for help. He's seen enough death and destruction to come the idea that we'd all be better off without the gods."

Though Nico didn't say it, or completely think about it, what Alabaster was doing seemed right. He knew about abandoned demigods. Some of them were from gods so minor, they'd been almost forgotten. Fighting off myths and evil gods that lurked around, and the gods didn't even bat an eyelash in their direction. It was almost sick.

Hades plucked a pomegranate off the plate. "Alabaster is smart, you know. He's not going to listen to someone whose been protected all their life. Your girlfriend, she did a bad job picking her third member,"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Aurora isn't my girlfriend," he interrupted. Persephone snickered.

"Sure she's not. Then why is her head on your shoulder right now?"

Obviously, Nico couldn't answer that question. He just turned pink. Hades rolled his eyes, having enough of this teen hormones nonsense.

"Anyways," he said loudly, grabbing the others attention. "Aurora Jane picked a bad person to compromise with Alabaster."

Nico thought about this. "Anais? What's wrong with her?"

"Her mother," Hades replied. Nico waited for thunder to boom, but nothing happened. "Athena keeps all her kids safe enough. She always has them so far down in her pocket, at all times. Alabaster didn't grow up like that. He's always had to fend for himself, and Anais has always had someone to help her. The two of them could start a whole war over this."

Nico grimaced. He hadn't even thought about that. Anais was smart. She knew when to open her mouth and when to shut up. But she also tended to fight really hard for what she believed in. And if Alabaster in any way, shape, or form challenged her, there'd be trouble.

"If she costs you this mission, then the gods will be upset. They truly want this boy gone. They really did Hecate a favor, keeping him alive this long. The more he lurks, the stronger he'll get. This quest isn't just about bringing him over to our side, it's about getting another threat out of the way."

Nico couldn't believe this. Now he understood why Chiron had been so anxious. "What could he possibly do?"

Persephone spread her hands on the table. "I don't understand why you guys are so pent up on this boy. He's eighteen! And he's got no one to back him up. He may have his powers, but other than that, he's got nothing."

Hades looked at her warily. "Luke had nothing in the beginning. All he had was a plan. Look how far he got. If we left him alone, he'd just get stronger, and keep plotting. He's not going to quit."

"He might as well. He knows he's done for, once the gods track him down. And entering Manhattan is the dumbest mistake he could ever make. What's going to convince him to come anyways? What would he come to Camp Half Blood for?" Nico still wasn't understanding. Sure, Luke had gotten far, but in the end there would always be someone, or an entire army to stop them. Alabaster couldn't possibly go farther than the deceased son of Hermes had.

"Aurora." Hades replied simply. "There's a reason she's the leader of this quest. It's not just about finding her brother. It's about her finally choosing her side."

Nico seemed shocked. "What do you mean, '_finally choosing her side'_? She's chosen our side!" he said. He was a bit angry at his father for suggesting that any of his friends would be traitors. They were some of the only people he had left.

"No. She hasn't." he retorted. He didn't say much else, but kept opening up the pomegranate. He glanced over at Nico, who seemed to be thinking a lot.

His head hung, and he stared intensely at his plate. Aurora may have fought for the Titan side, but she was a good person. She wanted to fix her mistakes. She _wanted_ to come to Camp Half Blood. So why would she turn back now?

Persephone watched all this in silence. She glared at Hades. Her lips moved, mouthing _'explain'_.

"When she came to Camp Half Blood, she made a promise with her sister," Hades began to say. Nico lifted his head up and listened. "If anything didn't turn out as great as they planned, they'd run away and track down Alabaster. This could be her chance. She's always lived under the shadow of a traitor. Why not just become a full blown one? If the Alabaster wraps her mind around the idea of endless power for her, and she says yes, who knows what their magic-_combined_- could do."

He didn't want to think about it. Normal magic, done by one person was bad enough. But two children of Hecate? Both of them were powerful enough to blow up the entire camp alone. Together could be the biggest disaster to date.

"You understand now, what's at stake." Hades said, looking at Nico. There was a glint in his eye, of some sort of pride. "Your role isn't just some harmless member. You've got to counteract whatever Alabaster tells Aurora. You've got to be the mediator. Your role is vital. If you fail… the gods could go extinct."

Nico suddenly felt his stomach lurch. He had been sucked into something much bigger than he had imagined. This was serious now. The fate of the demigods rested with them. It was a lot to handle. It was almost too much.

And he now had this lump in his throat. What could Alabaster do to them? Kill them? Kidnap them? There were so many things Aurora's brother could use them for that he felt ill. What if Alabaster turned out to be a monster?

But looking at Hades and Persephone, he knew he couldn't mess up. He couldn't fail, he couldn't get captured, and he couldn't die. They had been in danger so many times, that he was tired of it. And this was all because of a son of Hecate.

"You'll need to watch out for any gods that might be looking to capture and destroy you, or Alabaster. Remember, as much as he counts on Aurora, she counts on him. If either of them die by the hand of a god, they'll rally up against us. Neither of them can die."

Nico felt defeated already. On top of everything, he had to make sure that both Aurora and Alabaster couldn't die. It just kept getting worse.

"I know it seems hard," Hades said, "but you can do it. You wouldn't have been picked if Aurora didn't believe you could." Though it wasn't a perfect father/son moment, Nico knew that Hades really meant it. He was proud of him. Persephone nodded her head, and smiled a little.

"Go now," she said. "You'll be waking up soon. And tell no one of what we've said." Her voice was fading.

"Wait," he called out, thinking of a million more questions to ask, but he was already conscious, feeling something on his shoulder. He was pretty sure he could hear Persephone's faintest snickers, still ringing in his ears.

* * *

It was nearly two o'clock when Nico really woke up. He groaned, still tired. He still felt that something on his shoulder, and almost jumped when he saw what it was.

Aurora's head rested on his shoulder. Her brown and purple hair fell down his chest, and she seemed to be talking in her sleep. Her feet were tucked into the seat, looking rather bent up and uncomfortable to him, but she didn't seem to care. Her arm was wrapped around her waist, and her other hand when behind her head. She mumbled incoherently in sync with her rising and falling chest.

Anais was up too. She surveyed the scene, smiling and holding in her giggles. Her hair was very messy, and her face was red on one side from sleeping against the window.

"You're awake," she said sadly, mock pouting. In her hand was an iPod, like the kind demigods weren't supposed to use. He had no idea were she'd gotten it, but he figured that someone at camp had fixed it so she wouldn't attract monsters. Or maybe it was a gift for Athena. The goddess tended to give those to her kids.

He didn't respond. Seeing Aurora as happy as she was now made his head spin. Why would she join the other side? Why would she become a villain? And frankly, it wasn't too hard to see her as one.

That scared him the most. He really wondered how hard it would be to convince Aurora to run away with her brother. Alabaster was smart, powerful and stubborn. That combination was dangerous when it came to demigods. Who knew what Alabaster would do if he found them? He could kill them on the spot.

Anais noticed his expression. "Hey, it'll be fine, okay?" she nudged him, hoping to get something other than a frown.

His face didn't change. "You had a dream, didn't you?" she asked again, this time sounding a bit surer. He merely nodded, but told her nothing more, as Persephone had said. He also didn't want to worry someone who already had a million things on her mind as always.

She slumped back in her seat. "Sometimes I really hate the gods for doing this to us. Making us do their dirty work," she said it with a little disdain. Albeit, Nico and Anais both knew that she would never be the child of someone else because Athena was such a great mother. He wondered how she'd feel being a child of an underappreciated goddess, fighting in the Titan war.

He didn't dwell on it long enough because Aurora started to move around a lot. Her eyebrows furrowed, and the tiny smile melted off her face. Anais looked at her strangely. "What in-" she began saying, but was cut off when Aurora woke up.

Her eyes flashed open. Normally her eyes were really the color of acid, but this time they were pale and milky, like she couldn't see. She sat up and looked around, as if she didn't know what was going on. She then collapsed back on Nico's shoulder, where she woke up again, her eyes normal.

She didn't get up, but rubbed her eyes. She groaned, while Nico and Anais looked at each other, trying to figure out what in Hades had happened. The whistle blew, and the train stopped abruptly, throwing them forward. Aurora sat up cursing and groggy, forgetting about Nico. She looked out the window, along with Anais. The two widened their eyes before standing up, and looking back down at Nico.

"I think a god wants to talk to us," Aurora said indifferently.

Nico groaned before standing. Of course this would happen. He thought about leaving the god alone, but he knew it had to be important if they were even giving them the time of day. Nico sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

**~Interesting. Wonder who wants to talk to them...**

**Anyways, I was kinda thinking, (a dangerous past time for me, really) would you like to see me do a Rise of the Guardians fic? I've been mulling it over for some time, and honestly I want your opinions. So, Leave that in the review, or P.M. if you want just tell me, yes or no. I'm not promising anything, but man, have I got some ideas for the characters. **

**As always,**

***Rain-Dance-Dani**


	3. Chapter 3

Anais knew from the minute she stepped off the train that there was trouble.

Some god had misplaced the tracks in front of them. They were gone, as if they'd never been built. No doubt the mortals were thinking they'd been headed right over a cliff and that they had been saved. Rolling her eyes, she kept going.

The three of them marched outside. Aurora didn't pull out her dagger just yet, but she seemed pretty prepared to beat the shit out of someone who snuck up on her.

Nico looked around suspiciously. Ever since he woke up, he'd been more alert that usual. The thought that a god was lurking around didn't really settle well with him, Anais guessed.

She herself didn't want to meet another god. Her mother breathing down her neck and plaguing her dreams was enough. And after the task she'd proposed, Anais didn't want anything more to interrupt and tell them what they could or couldn't do. It was a waste of time.

A man sat on the edge of the tracks near a dense, dark green forest. His salt and pepper type hair made him seem older than she would have originally thought. His suit was top-notch, and looked like silk. He tapped away on his iPhone, hearing and recording new messages.

Nico was almost smiling. Clearly he'd met this god, because Anais wasn't too sure who he really was. Aurora looked like she was still thinking. Anais did what she always did when she met a stray god. "M'Lord," she bowed, being as formal as possible.

Aurora and Nico followed, but added "Lord Hermes," and weren't nearly as formal as she was.

Hermes looked up, before standing and brushing himself off. "Ah, yes," he said, turning the phone into a four-foot long staff with two intertwining snakes. He held the staff to his ears for a minute, before smiling down at them.

Unlike most gods, Hermes seemed friendly, even if he was about to break them some bad news. His grin was a bit sneaky, and his light blue eyes had a mischievous glint in them. No doubt he was the Stoll's father.

"You're the three, right? Going to rescue this one's brother?" he pointed to Aurora, who had her arms crossed over her chest, looking at Hermes with a small, but secretly irritated smile. "My name's Aurora," she clarified.

Hermes waved his hand like it wasn't important. "We know who you are," he said, as if he also knew something else. His impish smile didn't disappear.

The two snakes coiled around his staff. Anais looked at them curiously. It hadn't occurred to her that his snakes were real. They stretched towards his ear, as if to warn him.

He gave them a look. "Yes, I _know_ I have a message from her too, George. And no, you can't have another rat. That's three more than yesterday."

Nico didn't seem too interested in his conversation between the snakes. "So you brought us a message, Lord Hermes?" His impatience was astounding.

Hermes stopped talking to his staff. "Nico di Angelo, right? I'm pretty sure I remember one of the only three demigods to come back from Tartarus alive." He flung the words around like they were nothing, but Aurora looked at Nico in utter shock.

"Come back from _what_ alive?!" she nearly screamed, and he winced. It was really a sore subject for Nico, but Aurora seemed really mad that she wasn't informed. Albeit, Anais didn't know much about it either. She still kept quiet however.

The god smiled even wider. "So, you haven't told her? Interesting. Well, Aurora-Jane, this from your mother."

That snapped her out of her stare. "My mom? What would she possibly send me now?" After the Lamia attack, Aurora had been thinking about her mother, Hecate. She didn't really believe that her mother was trying to stop her quest, but she had some doubts. Or, at least Anais would.

Anais didn't have much of an opinion on Hecate. The magic goddess did what she could/would for her kids, just like her own mother, Athena. Though, Athena didn't have much magic, nor did any of her kids have powers. Sometimes it seemed like Athena campers were the only ones that didn't get cool stuff.

She put that thought away. They were going to meet Alabaster, a demigod, who despite his powers had no one. She wondered what his reaction to Anais's whining would be. Not that she would call it whining.

Hermes turned his staff into a tablet, opening something up. He squinted at whatever was written, before he looked back at Aurora.

"She says that your worst fear will meet you in Poughkeepsie. Keep Alabaster safe from them, and all of you get out as soon as you have him. She also said that she's sorry for your dream, but it had to be done. And she mentioned one last thing. Look between the lines."

Aurora shivered. She always did that when she had a really bad feeling about someone. Quite obviously, whatever her mother had shown her must have been terrible.

"And for you, Anais McLain, a message from Hecate as well."

The other two looked at Anais, whose face was twisted up in shock. Why would Hecate send her a message? And what would it be about? Though she did have a horrible feeling tugging in her stomach.

"She simply says to choose wisely." Hermes said, but it sounded like he was hiding something else. Anais had a growing suspicion that Athena was about to be in trouble.

Hermes got up. "Well, I guess I should put the tracks back. Can't have mortals freaking out, now can we?" His sly smile made Anais shiver a bit. He was the god of thieves. Who _knew_ what he could get away with?

He pointed the snake end of the staff towards the tracks. Instead of them rebuilding themselves, they just re-appeared. They should've known-it was just a trick of the mist, and a very good one at that.

The god sent them one more wink, and then started to glow. The three averted their eyes and in a blast of heat, Hermes was gone.

They each looked at each other strangely. Aurora rocked on her heels before dropping her head a bit and heading back onto the train. They both followed quickly, more than ready to keep moving.

* * *

The rest of the ride was boring. They sat and ate, talking about anything but the quest. This time, Anais sat on the same side with Nico, while Aurora was alone.

After a minute or two of silence, Aurora spoke up again. "Nico, what was Hermes talking about? When he said something about you."

The temperature seemed to drop drastically. Nico gave a cold glare at the window, but his eyes looked terrified. His hands shook and he seemed panicked.

Anais knew what she was asking about. Maybe less than a year ago, Nico had been thrown into Tartarus by Gaia and her minions. He never talked about, nor did anyone mention it ever again. And of course, that was all knew of it.

Aurora sat up and looked at him concerningly. Her eyes were bright and her hand reached out as if to touch him. Thinking better of it, she instead leaned back into her seat, discouraged.

Anais had always liked Aurora for that reason. No one really knew much about her because they never took the time to know her. They never saw beyond her purple curls and bright green eyes before they just figured that she was strange.

But her fatal flaw would probably kill her. It was one of those _moderation_ things that her sister Annabeth always talked about.

Nico sighed. "I really don't talk about it Aurora. I just don't. It's too hard."

Her eyes didn't seem the least bit hurt. "I get it," she slumped back. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Nico didn't reply, but Aurora seemed satisfied. For a while, Anais had noticed the tension between the two. Aurora was always trying to be a hero, though she had many friends. Nico could always do the most amazing things, but he didn't trust a lot of people. It was a terrible balance, and most saw their friendship as doomed to fail. But if they'd waited it out this long, they could do anything.

Aurora looked out the window. "This is probably a really bad time to explain what's going on with Alabaster."

Anais snapped her head up, but bit her lip timidly. Any information about Alabaster was useful, sure, but to be honest she didn't trust herself. Not completely. Especially not after Hecate's warning and her mom swimming around in her thoughts.

Nico sat up, looking better now that the subject was changed. "What's happening?"

Aurora sighed. Her face almost aged within a couple seconds. She was only fourteen, maybe fifteen, but you might've thought otherwise in that moment. "A goddess is after Alabaster."

Anais's guilt spiked, and her heart raced. Nico exhaled heavily, his hands on his temples. "Do you know which goddess?"

The daughter of Athena was almost shaking. She hoped so much that it wasn't her mother. Aurora spoke again: "I'm not too sure, but from what I heard, I think it's Artemis."

Anais's gray eyes looked up in surprise. Aurora's face was sad and nervous. She was scared for her brother. And she should have been.

But Anais's head was turning. What would Artemis want with _Alabaster?_ The immortal huntress _hated_ pretty much all men, with a few exceptions. And Alabaster, from what the three knew, didn't have overly valuable information.

Nico shook his head. "Are you sure?"

Aurora fidgeted. No doubt she was replaying everything in her mind. "In the dream I had, my mother was talking to me. She was warning me that someone was after him, chasing him. That was her big hint, _chase_. She kept saying the word over and over. The only goddess that comes to mind is Artemis. Hunters chase after their prey, right?"

Anais nodded. "That does make sense." Her lips betrayed her heart. Something was wrong. _"Choose wisely," _Hecate had warned her. But she'd told Aurora an even clearer message. "_Look between the lines." _ And the words she kept saying chase…

Nico brought her back to the present. "Well, that does make sense. But, she said worst fear." His eyes turned to the curly haired girl, who'd already sunk herself into the seat. "Care to enlighten us?"

Aurora's bright eyes widened. "You mean… fatal flaw? Or, my biggest fear." Her voice was hoarse, like she wasn't sure which was worse. Both weren't good things to say out loud. You could never be sure who was lurking around, ready to hear your faults exposed.

"You don't have to-"Anais started, but Aurora took a deep breath. She was going to.

"I'm not sure what my fatal flaw is, to be honest. It's never been too apparent." Nico and Anais gave each other a look. Both of them could pretty much tell Aurora what her fatal flaw was. Heck, they could tell her every time her fatal flaw had gotten them into trouble.

"But my biggest fear? I'm claustrophobic." Her eyes rested on the ground for a minute, before looking at her friends.

_"What?"_ Nico chocked out, though he seemed to be on the verge of laughing. Anais had a tiny smile on her face, but disbelief was also clear. Aurora being claustrophobic? The idea just didn't stick.

"What?" she demanded, going back to her original self. "Don't look at me like that Anais! You're terrified of spiders!"

Anais pouted. "That's rational! Arachne has a grudge against my mom, and so do her disgusting little children." A shiver ran through her body just imagining those creatures, their eight little legs crawling up the wall. She let out a tiny scream, and Nico rolled his eyes.

"So, what, you can't be in small places for a long period of time? What about this train?" His dark brown eyes looked around, as if looking for a place to escape when Aurora started screaming.

She pursued her lips, obviously not amused. "The train car is fine, Nico. It's only in really small, really tight dark places."

"Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of the dark too." His voice was almost mocking and amused. Aurora looked ready to hit him.

"I went into _your_ cabin in the middle of the night, didn't I? That place is dark enough during the day." She said that with a certain amount of pride. Anais smirked, however. She was going to put this comment to good use-breaking the tension.

"Oh? You did, did you?" Her upturned eyebrows and sly smirk made Nico's face go red, though he tried putting on a serious face.

"Not like that! Oh Gods," he muttered, and Aurora's face went rather pink. The freckles on her face were even more visible now. Her stupid smile was prominent as well. Nico gave Anais a glare, and sighed. "She asked me something I didn't know the answer to."

Now the three of them felt chills. Anais looked at her friend with a questioning glance. "What did you ask him?"

She sat up in her seat. "'What happens when someone finds a way to stop death?' Alabaster had asked it before. I'm not sure if he ever got an answer… but I need one."

Anais pulled a face. Why would Alabaster ask such a question? "That's impossible. You can't just _stop_ someone from dying."

Nico nodded. "That's what I told her. And she stubbornly replied-"

"That Alabaster had figured it out. He's still alive, even after two years, and survived Gaia's reign of terror. That means he obviously found a way to defeat monsters better than we did."

Anais sat up. She knew her friend didn't mean it, but it sounded as though she was saying _Alabaster is smarter than Camp-Half Blood_. Could she seriously be so one sided with her brother?

Aurora must have realized what Anais was thinking because she held her palms up. "I'm not saying that Camp Half-blood is inferior to my brother, because we aren't," Anais noted that the girl had replied with_ we_ instead of _you_ when she spoke about Camp Half-Blood. "But come on. He's powerful. He's no Percy Jackson, but he's good. Better than any magician you can find. He found a way to stop death, and I promise you, it couldn't have been overly complex."

Nico shook his head. "Aurora, trust me. You can't stop death. Unless, of course, you become immortal, but even gods and monsters can fade."

She leaned her head on the glass window. Anais couldn't help but think that _maybe_ Aurora was right. But Alabaster stopping death? That couldn't be possible. The gods wouldn't idly stand around, surely they'd go into action. If this boy could stop death, he could do so much more.

Anais began thinking though. Her mother was interested in Alabaster for a reason. She normally didn't take much interest in demigods that weren't hers, so this son of Hecate must've struck her fancy somehow. According to Aurora, he was an amazing magician. But was he anything else?

She decided on having a talk with her mother. There wasn't any other way to do it, but to try and fall asleep. She hadn't had too many dreams lately, but hopefully Athena would get the message and at least try to have a civil conversation with her.

She shut her eyes as Nico and Aurora began fighting about the rules of death-which was rather boring actually; and this was coming from a daughter of Athena. Yawning for good measure she prayed to both her mother and Hermes that she'd get an answer.

* * *

Apparently her mother had put her on hold. In her dream, Anais came crashing through a ceiling, only to be deposited nicely into a plush chair. She was sitting down in a small restaurant; a very posh uptown café by the looks of it. Was she meeting her mother here? She couldn't be so sure.

All of a sudden a blast shook the building. The people ran in clusters, rising up out of their seats and trampling over other civilians in masses. Glass shattered from the front, and Anais could see three kids standing tall and unmoving amongst the danger. She craned her neck to get a better look at them.

She recognized a black haired girl from camp-no doubt she was Lou Ellen, daughter of Hecate. She had the same long, frizzy black waves and wore a lot of black eyeliner, per usual. Her skin looked less pale somehow, though her eyes were as piercing as usual. She held her ground with a sword, bronze illuminating her face.

Her hand rested on the shoulder of a young girl. Anais had to blink twice before realizing that the girl was her best friend. Aurora was probably a foot and a half shorter, her hair much more blonde and pulled into two loose ponytails. Her eyes were big and unsettling; that same acid green color that couldn't be natural. A rather long dagger like the one she had now was firmly in her grip.

And tallest of all was a boy, who had an unstoppable smirk place on his lips. He had a freckly face like Aurora, brown hair and green eyes, somewhere in the middle of Lou's and Aurora's. A sword much like Lou Ellen's was balanced in one hand. But something seemed off about it. Despite the fact that it was covered in glowing green markings and math symbols, Anais knew it wasn't _bronze_. It looked a lot like Jason Grace's sword. Oh, what was that metal called? Imperishable gold? No, _Imperial_ gold. Knitting her eyebrows, she thought deeply. How on earth had a _Greek_ gotten a hold of _that_?

With wide eyes a chill down her shirt, she realized that this fourteen year old boy was who they were up against. This was Alabaster Torrington.

Anais didn't have time to dwell on it, however. The three moved as a team, rushing out into the scene creating a triangle. Alabaster pulled something out of his pocket. A note card, with something on it. He fiddled around with it in his fingers, but didn't do anything just yet.

Anais watched them, still sitting down at an untoppled table in the middle, seeing the scene unfold before her eyes. Lou's eyes darted back to her sister. "Alright Aurora, you know the plan, right?"

"Right," Aurora spoke crystal clear even though she was probably eight years old and scared out of her mind. She pulled an index card out as well, keeping it tightly between her tiny fingers.

The daughter of Athena was thoroughly fascinated. She knew the Hecate cabin had some rather astounding tricks up their sleeves,but everything these three were doing boggled her mind. Her thoughts were racing to keep up with her eyes.

A monster kicked through the back door, covered in chocolate and smelling of wine. Very large, about nine feet tall with one blazing red eye in the center of his forehead. In his hands was a roaring fire he'd started up.

Aurora's lower lip trembled as she watched the Cyclops lumber over to her. Alabaster rolled behind the monster, moving slowly and outside of his perefrial vision. As he scooted away, Lou dashed to the other side, leaving the little girl to fend on her own.

Anais shook her head. She thought this was crazy. No, she _knew_ it was. How could they let one tiny kid-hardly ten years old-battle against a teenaged Cyclops? Anais couldn't even take one down by herself.

Aurora steeled her nerves down, planting her feet shoulder length apart. Clutching her dagger tightly, the little girl let out a whopping cry, and sprinted head-first to the monster. Just as Anais was sure her young friend was dead, she jumped nearly a foot in the air and whipped out a second dagger. She stabbed the Cyclops in the thigh, causing him to tumble backwards and roar out in pain.

Anais gasped, a mixture of relief, shock and horror apparent on her face. Never before had she seen Aurora fight with so much gusto. It was appalling, but it was like watching a train wreck; she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Waves of fire spilled from the back kitchen. Hoping her friend would be fine, she raced into the next room, wishing she could help. Aurora had never told her about her days with Kronos, or working with Alabaster. Seeing everything happen before her though, Anais could see why.

She ducked quickly as flames shot out in her direction. Things weren't going so well back there. Lou's hair was singed, and a cut ran across her arm. Gritting her teeth, the black haired girl sprang forward, round-house kicking another Cyclops in the chest with so much anger and force that he smashed into a rack of pots and pans. Alabaster tore out of nowhere, his hands ablaze with what seemed to be Greek fire.

"Okay," Anais blinked, for once glad she was intangible. She backed out of the room with a weird look on her face, but not before watching Alabaster and Lou hose down the Cyclops with that eerie green fire. Alabaster stood, extinguished his hands and helped his sister up.

"You okay?" he asked her. His smile was gone, making his face look a lot older than he had been. Anais ducked under the pantry to get a better look at the two.

"Yeah," Lou said, wrapping gauze around her arm. Giving Alabaster a pointed look, she shook her head. "I'm fine. Go get Aurora, now!" she yelled, and Alabaster nodded quickly. Squeezing his sister's arm lightly, he rushed out, nearly tripping over the pots and pans scattered on the floor. As he did, Anais couldn't help but laugh. Alabaster certainly cared for his sisters, but he obviously had a tendency to stumble over things. Though, she had found it more cute than funny.

Following the son of Hecate out, Anais saw Aurora using a crisp white table cloth as a cleaning rag for her daggers. Alabaster raised an eyebrow. "You took care of that Cyclops?" he asked, though a smirk was set on his face. Anais held back a blush. She didn't believe that this guy was the one being hunted down. He was just a teenager.

"No," Aurora said, rolling her eyes. Her voice was an octave higher, sure, but she rolled her eyes the exact same way. "A wild satyr blasted through the ceiling and bashed him to death with his reed pipes." She glanced up at her brother, who was still smiling. "Duh I killed him!" Even at eight years old, Aurora was full of sass.

Alabaster rolled his eyes at her response. It wasn't hard to believe they were related. "Okay kid," he said, kneeling down to her level. "How'd you do it?"

As she jubilantly relayed the events of her fight, Alabaster grinned widely and nodded happily with her. Throwing her arms up every now and then, Alabaster would laugh too, the noise filling the empty space around them. Lou soon joined them, holding her bandaged arm carefully. She bent down too, holding her knees with both hands, smiling and nodding down at the young girl as well.

Watching them together brought a sad smile on Anais's face. She'd seen a million pictures of Thalia, Luke and Annabeth; battling monsters, sitting by campfires and sleeping in alleyways. But these three? She'd never seen such a tight knit family-three siblings so full of happiness and love even in the darkest of times and in the most depressing of places. Alabaster was extremely kind, very much unlike the person she pegged him to be. She watched as the eldest child of Hecate picked up a laughing Aurora and held her face close to his.

"You did good A," he said, giving her a wide grin. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a fierce hug. He closed his eyes, the smile still plastered on his face. Anais couldn't help but smile-the love evident on his face was adorable. Aurora kissed his cheek, and Alabaster tousled her hair as he set her down.

"So," he asked loudly, giving a side glance at Lou Ellen. "What's our next move? The army's going to be looking for us, but those are the least of our worries."

Aurora looked at him, a quizzical expression evident on her face. "They aren't?"

Lou pressed her hand on Aurora's shoulder. "I agree with Rora. If Kronos's army isn't our biggest problem, than what is?"

The weather, Anais only now noticed, had changed throughout the fight. Rain now subsequently poured, causing large puddle from the broken windows. Howling winds crashed through the moaning building. Alabaster had obviously seen this and knew what it meant. He sighed.

"The gods are. You know that; they've been tracking us down since we fled from the entrance in Arizona. I think…. We have to go back to the warehouse. We have to." He sounded defeated, but his eyes still held fire in them.

"Alabaster," Aurora's large acid eyes were tearing up. "Will they take us back?" Lou looked just as scared, but remained silent.

Not looking at her, he turned his face. Anais noted the look of guilt written across his features. The green fire in his eyes had dimed. "We left-or, I left-because I was done watching people die. But Aurora, what we did was wrong. Lou and I both know that. We left all of them. We're supposed to be leaders. Think about Theo, Lily and Kris. Aurora, we have to help them. And I'm sure Luke won't care, as long as we haven't alerted the gods. Just…" he sighed again. "I was selfish. I dragged you two into this."

"Yeah," Lou said, placing her other hand on his shoulder. She stepped closer to him, looking right into his eyes. "You are selfish."

"That makes me feel so much better, Lou." He shrugged her shoulder off, but she held onto him tighter than he'd estimated.

"I wasn't done," she said impatiently. "Yeah, you're selfish, so what? We chose to come with you." Her words made his head snap back up to her.

"And it means we're staying with you." The youngest girl punched his middle affectionately.

Alabaster smiled albeit grimly as though he'd done something horribly wrong. "You're both amazing." He said. The three huddled close together, surveying the damage they'd caused. "Come on, let's get out of here before it collapses on us."

Anais watched them gather a few things before they ran out of the groaning building, the rain and mist distorting their figures as they ran faster and farther.

Knotting her hands in her hair, Anais steadily puffed out air. What she'd just seen was incredibly deep and very personal. Why had her mother shown her this? It was unnerving.

"I thought you could learn from it," a female voice said.

Anais didn't have the will to answer back respectfully. She was too tired and emotionally strung out. "I did. I learned that Aurora's brother is really cute." The voice scoffed back at her.

"The Hecate spawn? He's not as bad as that upstart son of Poseidon." Athena walked in front of Anais, positively radiating power. "Though you could do much better my dear."

Her mother had long black hair, opposite of her own. Normally her mother pulled it all back, but it billowed out behind her. Startling gray eyes pierced through the empty space between them. Athena was beautiful, yet stern.

"I know you have your doubts about the boy," she started off. An expression verging on sympathy was on her mother's face, but she didn't think that was it. "But let me assure you, he has more than any child of Hecate can offer."

The power-hungry look in her eyes scared Anais. The daughter of Athena moved her hair from her face. "Mom," she said softly, but sternly. "You can't take him away."

Athena's stern eyes raged. "I will not take orders from a _child_, not even my own." Anais snapped her mouth closed. Steeling back her tears, she inhaled deeply.

"I'm not telling you what to do," she said, trying her hardest not to sound insubordinate. "I'm saying, there must be another way to get what you want." Her gray eyes softened to a pleading look.

Athena didn't back down. "You don't understand, do you?" When Anais didn't answer, Athena sighed. "Alabaster has power, yes. But I don't care about that. His _knowledge_, is what I yearn for."

Anais blinked. She was now on a roll with her thoughts. "You mean," she stuttered out. "You mean that you don't have knowledge that a _demigod_ has?"

Athena blushed, though she carried it off with the fire in her eyes. "Of course not! Not any godly knowledge, anyways." Athena turned her head slightly. "No. I haven't any knowledge on Hecate's children. Their powers, their habits… the Olympians simply need to understand what their up against."

"You aren't up against anything mother," she said, hoping her mother was actually listening. Her encounter wasn't going so well. "But think about what you're doing. You saw what I saw. You know how much Alabaster means to the others. You _saw_ him away, and you've created an uprising."

Surprise flashed in Athena's eyes, though she steeled her features. A small smile forming on her lips, she touched her daughter's cheek. The unexpected display of motherly affection made Anais flinch.

"When did you become so much like myself?" she asked, chuckling a little. Anais blushed, but smiled nonetheless.

"I am your daughter," she said timidly. She was no Annabeth-she wasn't used to this. Athena laughed softly.

"I do not promise his freedom," she proclaimed. Anais's heart sank. "But I do swear upon the Styx that his capture will not be by my hand" Thunder boomed more than ever, and rain fell harder, whipping through her hair.

Looking to the ceiling, Athena breathed loudly. "I must return to Olympus. Good luck, Anais. I know you are no Annabeth-you'll figure out your own way. And I will be okay with that."

Warmth flooded through her cheeks. In the same flash of light, Athena disappeared, and her dream ended, her eyes opening just a fraction. And over the noise of the storm, Anais could hear her name being called.

* * *

"Anais!"

Shaking her head, Anais opened her eyes fully to the sight of Nico di Angelo and Aurora Powers glaring daggers at each other.

"What?" the daughter of Athena stuttered out groggily. If either of the two noticed, they didn't mention it. Aurora jabbed her thumb at Nico.

"Can you please tell Death the Kid over here that he's wrong?"

Anais blinked. "What is he wrong about?" She sat up straighter and fixed her clothes.

Nico smiled smugly, taking that as a victory. Anais rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't get a big head about it. I was asleep."

"HA!" Aurora yelled, standing abruptly, almost knocking her head against the top of the train car. Then, realizing that it wasn't a good thing, she knit her brows and turned her attention to Anais. "Wait, what? You've been asleep this whole time?"

"Um, yes?" she said, her eyebrows shooting up in curiosity. "Why?"

Crossing her arms, Aurora looked ticked off. She looked at Anais the same way she had looked at Alabaster after attacking the Cyclops in her dream. "You were talking in your sleep. You sounded engaged in our questions."

"Oh," she said, running a hand through her blonde hair. "Well, I'm just that good. By the way, I had a dream about you."

The two stopped looking at each other and gave her a questioning gaze. "Excuse me?" Aurora asked, obviously taken aback.

"I had a dream about you and your siblings. You never told me you ran away from home."

With wide eyes, an unmoving body and a pale face, Aurora seemed as though she'd been shot. "I…I didn't think…" she looked around widely. Anais regretted saying anything. Nico was staring at her as though she'd become the most fascinating thing ever.

"You ran away from home?" he asked, a look of disbelief on his face. Looking at over at Anais for confirmation, she nodded.

"Aurora? I'm sorry I brought it up, I just didn't-"

"What did you see?" Aurora asked, her eyes not even looking in Anais's direction.

"You were in a shop, in Northern New York. It was you, Lou and Alabaster. Aurora, I'm sorry I didn't ask to see that."

The daughter of Hecate shook her head. "I'm not mad at you." She sighed deeply. If anything, the little girl from her dream had grown up well. She was wondering how much _Alabaster_ had changed. She silently hoped not at all.

"Well, you shouldn't be mad," Nico spoke up. The two girls cast their glances at him. He shrugged. "Just being honest. We obviously know what Hecate's message meant now."

Anais raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?" Of course she knew what he meant. He was putting the pieces together the way Anais had a while ago.

Leaning back causally, Nico placed out his palms, not unlike Aurora had earlier. "All I'm saying is that maybe Artemis isn't to blame. You said your mom showed you that dream?"

"I didn't say that," Anais grumbled lowly, though she knew she'd implied it.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Well, it was implied. My guess is that Athena is going after him."

Aurora clearly didn't want to accept it. "No way. What would Athena want with my brother?"

Nico shrugged again. Anais was sure that shrugging was Nico's signature. "What does a woman who despises men want with him either? I don't know Aurora. But Hecate told you _chase,_ right?"

"She emphasized it, yes." Not giving him the satisfaction of the moment, Aurora smirked and crossed her arms. The daughter of Athena suppressed her laughter.

"Gods, you're both difficult." He threw his arms up in defeat. "Anyways,_ Chase_ just so happens to be someone's last name."

"I concluded that as well," Aurora admitted." But seriously, that couldn't be what my mother meant. I know she's the goddess of Witchcraft and all, but she isn't cryptic with me. Besides, it makes sense that Alabaster has a bounty on his head. If anyone's the Greek equivalent of a bounty hunter, it's Artemis."

"Good point," Nico argued back. "But-"

"Nico, it's not Athena. She said his capture wouldn't be by her hand," she explained what went on in her dream. A few times Nico would whistle, obviously impressed, and Aurora would smile. Other times, Aurora would blush; embarrassed, and Nico would tease her. When Anais came to the part about Athena, both listened intently.

"She even swore on the Styx. I'm pretty sure it won't be her."

Nico nodded. "So, is it definitely Artemis?"

Aurora sighed deeply. "Is anything ever definite? Nah," she said, swinging her hand around casually. "We'll cast our lots, but it isn't her for sure."

"That makes me feel so much better about this quest," Nico said, sarcasm dripping from his last words.

"Yeah, well." Aurora pursued her lips. "I need both of you. When we get Alabaster-and we will-we have to get him back to Camp-Half Blood safely."

"Oh, we're getting him alright," Nico said. His tone was annoyed, though his smirk was noted. "I'm not wasting all this time _not_ to return back with him."

"I'm with Nico," Anais stated, bemused. "Besides, I'm really interested to see what he looks like."

"Oh?" the son of Hades said, his brows raising up. "She said really interested."

Aurora rolled her eyes, but Anais's face felt like it was one fire. She slapped Nico's arm, but if he noticed, he didn't let on. "Oh come one," the daughter of Hecate spoke. "As if Anais has a thing for my brother. She hasn't even_ met_ him. Right?"

"I saw him in the vision," she said weakly. Though she didn't deny the first claim. Aurora's eyes searched hers, and Anais flinched and looked away. Aurora gasped, hitting her forehead with her palm.

"Oh my gods," she breathed. "You have a crush on my brother." Nico laughed even more, almost choking on his own breath.

"I wouldn't go _that _far," Anais said, sheepishly rubbing her arm, though a drunk, bashful smile ghosted over her lips. "He just…I don't know-"

Aurora held her stomach as though she might vomit. "Nope," she said, holding her hand up to stop her. "Just, stop talking for a minute. I need to-"

Her thought was cut off by the voice over the speaker. "Good afternoon mortals and demons," The voice was overly happy and high pitched. "Like, we'll be arriving at our destination very shortly! So please check your seats for your things and your small mortal children before the train leaves the station again, or like, they'll be eaten-I mean taken-to either myself or Samantha! Have a nice day!"

Anais looked at her friends. "You heard that right?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Of course. Just what I needed," she threw up her hands dramatically. "More siblings."

Nico's eyes widened. "You mean, those vampires with the weird legs are your sisters?" though he was serious, he was still smiling. Rubbing his chin mockingly, he gazed at a random spot in the air. "Huh, you know, I think I see the resemblance."

Getting red face, Aurora smacked him with her dagger hilt. "They're called _empousai _and you know it."

"Here? How can you tell?" Sure the broadcast wasn't exactly normal, but how did she know exactly what they were up against.

"I just do. They are related to me," she grimaced, clearly not liking the fact. Grabbing another dagger from her pack, she held them in her hands like twin swords. Even though she was more grown up than the little girl she'd seen in her dreams, Anais knew that Aurora would always be that girl.

"Now," she said, eyeing everyone on the train. "They're obviously here for us. As soon as the train stops, bust out of here as fast as you can, and don't attack _anyone _unless I tell you to. Most _empousai_ look like normal girls, so you can never be sure at first glance."

"And you can?" Nico challenged. He stood to match her, drawing his sword. The black iron cast a purple glow, lighting his pale face.

Aurora glared back. "Daughter of the goddess of the mist; what do you think?" She held on to the seat as the train screeched to a halt. Anais stood with them, slinging her bag on her shoulder. Looking back at the two of them, Aurora held up to fingers. "Alright, everyone got the plan? Any questions?" Anais shook her head and looked sideways at Nico. The son of Hades nodded, and the two of them crouched in lunging position, aiming at the doors. Mortals looked at them weirdly, and some kids mimicked them. The trio showed no signs of caring.

Giggling came from behind the front doors of the train car. Screeches and the clanging of metal accompanied them. Aurora was clearly right. Each of them grimacing, Aurora dared give a confident smile. Nico returned it, and Anais couldn't help but give one in response.

"Okay," Aurora said, holding her two blades equidistant from her body. "When those doors open, get ready for all hell to break loose."

The train cars hissed open with a sickening giggle from behind them, and the three let loose a battle cry; one to rival any trio before.

* * *

**So, I'm back. **

**Like I said, I randomly update. I get that it's been ages, but I'm hoping I'll get chapter 4 up in the next couple of weeks.**

**I'm kind of iffy on the plot, and that's really discouraging, so bare with me here. I'm not giving you a proper story with no plot- that won't do.  
**

**But I do hope those of you who read the story do review and help me out here. **

**Yours in demigodishness, and all that,**

***Rain-Dance-Dani**


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